Hidden Gems: Meet Shannon Kung of Wild Orange Apothecary

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Kung

Hi Shannon, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m a born and bred LA native, raised by immigrant Taiwanese parents. I earned my undergrad and my MBA from UCLA, and climbed the corporate ladder, working for Fortune 100 companies like Disney (where I spent 7 years building brand affinity and activations for Marvel and Star Wars). While I learned a lot during that chapter of my life, I felt like something was missing. The corporate world provided prestige, stability, and a regular paycheck, but I knew deep down inside that I wanted to do more, say more, be more.

I took a leap of faith after a lot of inner work, and left my job at Disney to start a heart-centered boutique consulting firm called &etc (www.andetcco.com) and simultaneously built a family-run tea business, Wild Orange Apothecary (www.wildorangeapothecary.com).

Although there were ups and downs, I’m proud to say that I feel more aligned and happier than I’ve ever felt before. With my consulting business, I’m able to work with organizations looking to do good in the world, and help them move forward with decision-making. And, with my tea business, I’m able to provide a peaceful and nourishing moment through the art of tea and share my culture.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road at all! But, I also feel like I needed those bumps in the road and those redirections to help challenge me and get me even more attuned with what I wanted to create and bring into this world.

I had a number of “cold starts” where I pursued a number of paths and interests- taking classes, investing in materials, etc., only to realize that they weren’t aligned. It was hard to admit that something that I had gone after so passionately wasn’t right for me, and I had to let it go. And, even after I had decided to pivot, I wrestled with the guilt of “wasting money” and “wasting time.” It took inner work, resilience, and kindness to myself to fully accept that these “cold starts” were necessary for my growth, stepping stones to get to where I am now. Additionally, those investments I made weren’t wasted, but that they were in service of helping me move forward – that I was exactly where I needed to be and exactly on time.

We’ve been impressed with Wild Orange Apothecary, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Wild Orange Apothecary is our little tea corner of the world, dedicated to crafting moments of peace, focusing on the slow ways and ancient practices, things created by the human hand, natural, and with intentionality and care.

We created Wild Orange Apothecary to bring calm and intentionality to everyday life – we believe that tea is meditation. We love that our teas not only taste good, but also make people feel good as well.

At Wild Orange Apothecary, we specialize in two things:

1. Organic Herbal Blends- inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine, and reimagined in a modern way to be delicious, nourishing to your body, mind, and soul, and naturally non-caffeinated. Some of our most popular herbal teas are the “Remedy for a Broken Heart” Tea to comfort your emotional heart and your physical heart, and the “Digestif Post- Big Meal “Tea to aid and soothe your digestive system.

2. Artisan Teas curated from Asia – lovingly sourced by our family to highlight unique, single-source teas that speak to their specific regions and terroirs (e.g. a beautiful, floral oolong tea from the Alishan mountains)

We’re extremely proud and passionate about sourcing the best ingredients, teas, and tea accessories, by partnering with the best artisans and local farmers. We love to showcase makers and growers locally, as well as from Taiwan, Japan, and China, many whose families have been practicing their craft for generations. For example, we source the dried jujubes used in our “Remedy for a Broken Heart” tea from a local organic, California farm run by the loveliest Korean couple.

We’re a family-run business, and we’re constantly dreaming, discovering, and thoughtfully adding to our collection of offerings, designed to celebrate our connection to each other and the natural world.

You can currently find our teas and tea accessories online at www.wildorangeapothecary.com, where we also note our pop-up events and in-person tea ceremonies. Our tea ceremonies are a great way to not only sample and learn about a variety of teas, but to also engage with community and take some time for yourself. Additionally we also do private events, and create custom gift boxes as well – in the past we’ve done them for baby showers, bridal showers, bachelorettes, etc.

A great way to learn about new launches and events is to also follow us on Instagram at @wildorangeapothecary

We hope our offerings provide inspiration, healing, and deep calm.

What matters most to you?
What matters to me most is living intentionally and mindfully, while celebrating and enjoying all the beauty and wonder this world has to offer.

This has been especially true to me after having just given birth to my son (last week!)- I want to really make sure to savor and hold gratitude for all the sweetness that life has to offer.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.wildorangeapothecary.com
• Instagram: @wildorangeapothecary

Image Credits
Keith Walsh